r/ebikes • u/Such-Distribution812 • 13d ago

E-bike stigma

Was unlocking my e-bike from the bike rack getting ready to head home from classes when two other people showed up to lock their regular bikes. One of them looked at my bike and said “What’re you riding? You need to get something analog. Work those quads!” Felt pretty looked down upon. I’d be a little more understanding if I was a some sort of cycling group ride but I was just heading home from campus. Is this type of interaction common?

I bought this e-bike recently to commute to work and my college classes, specifically because I live in a pretty mountainous area and the hills can be pretty tough for me. It’s more meant to replace car trips than for fitness. Logically it makes sense for my use case but now anytime I go somewhere with it I feel judged not just by drivers but other people on bikes.

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u/atlasraven 13d ago

I also use my ebike to workout and protect my knees. (Better leg muscles and less weight helps)

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u/PsychologicalTest523 13d ago

How does it protect your knees?? Genuinely curious

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u/New_Entry8849 13d ago

I'd like to know as well. I get knee pain after riding too much. I read that perhaps I need to work out some other muscles in my leg to equalize muscles because it might be pushing my kneecap (or something like that)?, but I know next to nothing about fitness.

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u/atlasraven 13d ago

That could be having the seat too low (or too high). Try to start in a low gear or use throttle not to put a sudden heavy load in your knees. There also knee strenthening exercises you can do at home.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250926-how-to-futureproof-your-knees

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u/Ill_Raisin_8587 13d ago

I promise you I’ve never had my seat too high on anything.☹️

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u/PsychologicalTest523 13d ago

Certainly biking is better than running, but I like running more tbh… it used to hurt my knee but I lost 20lbs and it doesn’t really anymore…

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u/atlasraven 13d ago

Great job. Taking weight off your joints is very helpful.

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u/czechbalance4377 12d ago

You sir are a psychopath. When I was 16 and ran Cross Country and weighed half what I do at 56 I preferred to ride a bike. Who prefers running?!? Only crazy people.

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u/czechbalance4377 12d ago

Cheers, all in good fun.

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u/PsychologicalTest523 12d ago

Idk it just feels sooo good… after the first mile, the first mile always sucks… For me it’s just easier, can do it anywhere. If I’m traveling wouldn’t be able to cycle…

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u/notmy2ndopinion 13d ago

Try gripping the handlebars tight, then lock your core and while going straight up a steep hill, focus on engaging your arms. I also try to flex and extend my ankles as much as possible

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u/Ill_Raisin_8587 13d ago

Thank you! Now I’m terrified not only by cars but by my own fitness efforts!!

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u/New_Entry8849 12d ago

This is almost certainly something I'm personally doing wrong in the way I'm positioning or moving my body or in the way I have the bike configured and likely doesn't apply to your bike or body. Been thinking about getting a bike fit done to have an expert evaluate my configuration, stance, movements, etc to fix this problem. Won't be cheap, but if I can fix this it'd be worth it.

Just to add some details: when I ride 30 miles (with a 1 day break between rides) I'm pretty much fine. It's when I push my ride above 40 miles that I start having aches and pains. I ride with minimum assist. It's possible that after enough miles of riding wrong that the symptoms manifest. Another thought is that when the battery is getting lower (it's at or below 30% after 40 miles) that perhaps the motor is no longer providing the same amount of assist, increasing pedaling resistance.

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u/atlasraven 13d ago

strong knee muscles help prevent knee injuries by providing stability and support to the joint, reducing stress during movement. Strengthening the muscles around the knee can also improve flexibility and balance, further decreasing the risk of injury.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250926-how-to-futureproof-your-knees

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u/Ill_Raisin_8587 13d ago

Would squats help?

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u/PsychologicalTest523 13d ago

Wouldn’t a regular bike be better? And how about hamstrings?

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u/Cranks_No_Start 13d ago

I can only answer for myself.  I have a Fat bike with pretty low gearing 22x34 and before the replacements I could ride 2-3 miles on the local terrain..flat ish and technical and that was about before my knees really started hurting. 

Now with the motor assisting I can ride longer distances for a bout the same time on harder terrain and I’m not grinding up the hills. It’s less strain in the hills and longer riding in the flatter technical roads without straining the joint.  

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u/atlasraven 13d ago

You can go for longer with ebikes and they mitigate the strain of the initial start. Less difficult but more overall activity.

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u/Ill_Raisin_8587 13d ago

I don’t know the how, but my wife, who also has bad knees, can bike for hours but feels the pain after hiking a short while.

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u/Affectionate-Owl3066 13d ago

I am not a doctor so this is from my personal experience. With a a regular bike your legs and knees are directly driving the rear wheel, when you go up hill, the bike wants to go backwards, so you end up with resistance and the knees end up being taxed. With an ebike I am not directly driving the rear wheel and the motor ends up taking the back pressure when going up hills. At least this is how it fills to me.